Diabetologists happy as ban on pioglitazone is revoked

Diabetologists are happy with the health ministry's decision of revoking the ban on pioglitazone – an anti–diabetic drug that was banned a few days ago on the grounds of serious side effects. However, the official notification on revoking the ban on pioglitazone is yet to come out.

The Drug Controller General of India issued a notification on June 18 banning the manufacture and sale of pioglitazone and all its combinations, on the grounds of health risks, including weight gain, body–fluid retention, cancer of urinary bladder and heart failure in heart patients.

The doctors lobby from across the country had criticised the ban and demanded its withdrawal.

The director of Diabetes Care and Research Centre and consultant diabetologist at Ruby Hall Clinic, Dr Abhay Mutha, said, “Anti-diabetic drug pioglitazone is likely to be back in pharmacies soon. The sources in the ministry had told us that during a meeting with a committee of 12 doctors, the health ministry decided to revoke the ban. Majority of the doctors argued that there was no affordable alternative to the drug.”

However, he strongly appealed for the use of this drug with all possible care, caution and regular monitoring to avoid the risks in future.

According to Dr Mutha, pioglitazone is a very important anti-diabetic drug specially for our country where insulin resistance is very common and more than 30-40 lakh patients are on this drug. He also stressed that there is no suitable alternative for this drug and all the patients would have had to be shifted to costlier options like Gliptins or Insulins.

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